One wrote, 'All it does is inflame the people who still oppose gay rights. These people are full of conspiracy theories about gays trying to "recruit" children through books and TV shows and comic books. Here it appears that those charges are being validated... This cover looks like something created by Pat Robertson to scare his supporters.'

This isn't the first time that Bert and Ernie have been prematurely outed. In 2011, a Tweet from the Sesame Street account seemed to out Bert.

The Tweet was 'written' by Bert and said 'Ever notice how similar my hair is to Mr. T's? The only difference is mine is a little more 'mo,' a little less 'hawk.'

Is he or isn't he? The famous 2011 tweet that seemed to out Bert

'Mo' being a short form for homosexual, many interpreted this as a subtle acknowledgement by the producers that Bert and Ernie were indeed gay.

However, Sesame Workshop responded, saying that wasn't the case.

'Bert and Ernie are best friends,' Sesame Workshop wrote in a statement. 'Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits...they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.'